Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent a letter to President Joe Biden in which he asked the President to put an end to the “absurd” ban on tennis great Novak Djokovic from entering the United States. Doing so would allow him to play at the Miami Open due to his vaccination status.
DeSantis called the denial “unfair, unscientific and unacceptable.” He said the American people want to see Djokovic play. “His presence in our country poses no meaningful health or public safety risk.”
DeSantis asks Biden to confirm why Djokovic can’t enter the country no later than Friday, March 10, 2023.
DeSantis lavishes praise on Novak Djokovic as “the most accomplished tennis player in history and the reigning top-ranked player in his sport,” while lamenting that the “only thing keeping Mr. Djokovic’s participating in this tournament is your administration’s continued enforcement of a misguided, unscientific, and out-of-date COVID-19 vaccination requirement for foreign guests seeking to visit our great country.”
The current Florida governor and likely Presidential hopeful says the country has learned valuable lessons since the onset of COVID-19.
“For one thing, it is now clear that the COVID-19 vaccines are not as effective as initially advertised,” he writes. “A new study in the Lancet has found that natural immunity is at least as effective as the COVID vaccines.”
DeSantis then quotes Lancet: “Our analysis of the available data suggests that the level of protection afforded by previous infection is at least as high, if not higher than that provided by two-dose vaccination using high-quality mRNA vaccines.”
The Florida governor points out that exposure to COVID-19 is now significantly less likely to result in hospitalization or fatality.
“Finally, not only is the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine now in question, but recent scientific studies have identified serious potential health risks from the vaccine,” said DeSantis. “Florida’s Surgeon General has issued guidance recommending against the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for males ages 18-39 years old – precisely the cohort of Mr. Djokovic.”
DeSantis concludes: “Mr. Djokovic is an extraordinary tennis player who should have every right to compete in this year’s Miami Open, which will commence on March 20. I respectfully ask you to grant his requested exemption so that he may delight and inspire tennis fans in Florida and around the Nation.”
